Time for Obama to go on the offensive on SS, Medicare, and taxes

[DavidDvorkin]

Instead of fighting the Tea Party itself, it's time for him to tap into the fear, anxiety, and nascent populism underlying the movement, but in a positive way, not the destructive way the GOP has.

If he came out swinging for protecting SS and Medicare, strengthening them, improving them, increasing their reach, and the same for tax cuts for the middle class and tax increases for the wealthy, he could turn the tide in a massive way. We know he has the rhetorical skills, and sometimes he shows the fire. Now he needs to put both of those to work.

[katandmoon]

1. Too late. He has already withered up, died, and blown away.

He signaled his intent to trash SS by appointing two noted SS foes to head the catfood commission.

[DavidDvorkin]

4. Presidents have attacked their own commissions before

And it has worked for them. That bully pulpit is a powerful thing, if it's used.

[rocktivity]

2. And it's as easy as 1-2-3

1. Lower or eliminate Medicare's eligibility age

2. Raise or eliminate Social Security's salary cap

3. Allow the Bush tax cuts to sunset as originally planned.

"The richer we have become materially, the poorer we have become morally and spiritually...There is no deficit in human resources; the deficit is in human will."
--Martin Luther King, Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, 12/11/64

:patriot:
rocktivity

[DavidDvorkin]

6. Yes! to all of those.

[AC_Mem]

8. Agreed!

Anyone who thinks President Obama doesn't have it in him to turn this around is really underestimating him. Have hope! Things can get better!

:)

[COLGATE4]

9. Then they told me "Cheer Up - things could be worse". So I

cheered up, and, sure enough, things got worse.

[WinkyDink]

3. THIS. THIS is what has been missing. People want LEADERS, not reactors.

And I for one am tired of the reaction of Presidential snark.

[HopeHoops]

5. "WHY do the Republicans and other teabaggers HATE the VETERANS and the ELDERLY???"

Yo, fuckwads at FOX - it cuts both way. Deal with it.

[quinnox]

7. LOL

:rofl:


Considering the signals given by the White House lately, this is the last thing they will do.

I've started to lower my expectations of this administration lower and lower and getting close to rock bottom, about the best I can say is that they won't completely ruin the country like Bush did.

An intelligent and somewhat reasonable republican president is what I am starting to expect from the Obama administration.